132 In 1993, the then Headmaster, John Evans, interviewed Mr Walton, a fresh-faced student from St Peter’s, Oxford, and was surprised at the amount of time he had spent in Germany, mainly because Mr Evans thought Mr Walton was applying for a French and Spanish job…. It transpired that he had, of course, applied for the German and French post, not for French and Spanish, and it was to Brentwood’s huge benefit that the confusion was soon cleared up, as Mr Walton went on to serve the school for twenty-eight years. During this time he has offered a quite remarkable degree of commitment, engagement and inspiration to several generations of students. The only induction Mr Walton received was being told to follow the textbook, mark in red, and not to smile until Christmas. Interestingly, he was also advised to buy a pair of glasses, whether or not he needed them, because the act of taking them off thoughtfully could buy time during any difficult parents’ evening meetings. As Head of Modern Languages and, as Head of German, the longest serving Head of Department, Mr Walton never had to resort to this however, because his relationships with pupils, and indeed colleagues, was always excellent. He was never a demonstrative, ebullient or showy teacher, but rather he led by example, never settling for second best. To Mr Walton, language learning and teaching are an art-form, where the beauty of precise expression is an ideal in itself. His UCAS references were a lesson in linguistic accomplishment to those who read them, whilst the number of former pupils who sought him out years later are just two of many testimonies to a sparkling career. Mr Walton
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